Hey, wanna see the weather conditions on the Sun? Wanna see pictures of massive balls of pure heat and energy from the comfort of your phone? Wanna download the same app used by actual scientists to study solar flares? Yes, you do. Firewalk with me, won’t you?
This week, Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates (ASTRA) released a new free app for Android phones that features real-time pictures and video from NASA‘s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. To be brief, it’s nothing short of awesome. As an app, it’s straightforward and pristine (at least on my Droid X), and while some of the information might go over your head, all you really need to know about it is that you’re looking at amazing pictures usually reserved for scientists and satellites. Plus, weather conditions in the vicinity of our Sun, like electromagnetic storms, do affect us on Earth, including radio and GPS interference. It’s beyond WeatherBug. It’s space weather. (Another free Droid app from ASTRA, Space Weather, has been downloaded 11,000 times and is more comprehensive and informational than the SDO app, which is mostly just eye candy.)
(via TechNewsDaily)
